Former Grand Mufti of Lebanon Mohammed Rashid Qabbani Issues Fatwa: It Is an Islamic Duty to Wage Jihad to Liberate Palestine from the "Foreign Jewish Occupiers," All Peace Agreements with Them Null and Void Former Grand Mufti of Lebanon Mohammed Rashid Qabbani issued a fatwa according to which Palestinians and all Arabs and Muslims have a duty to wage Jihad "to liberate Palestine from the occupation of the Jews of the Balfour Declaration." Sheikh Qabbani compared the liberation of Palestine today to the Jihad waged by the Prophet Muhammad, by Omar ibn Al-Khattab, and by Saladin, and declared that Islam forbids the Palestinians and all Arab and Muslim countries "to surrender, to reconcile, to make peace treaties, or to concede a single inch of Arab Palestinian land to the foreign Jewish occupiers." Sheikh Qabbani's address aired on Al-Mayadeen TV on May 16.

Hamas Leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar: We Are Coordinating with Hizbullah, Iran on an Almost Daily BasisHamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar said, in an interview with the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen TV channel, that with the help of Iran, Hamas has managed to significantly develop its capabilities. Sinwar added that Iran has provided Hamas’s Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades and other Gaza factions "a lot of money, equipment, and expertise." He further said that his organization had "excellent" relations with Hizbullah and that there is coordination on an "almost daily" basis between the two organizations, and described Hamas’s relations with Iran, the IRGC, and Qasem Solimani as "strong and warm." The interview aired on May 21.

(March 4, 2018 / JNS) The new head of Iran’s wrestling federation resigned last week after criticizing authorities for forcing athletes to concoct lies so as not to face Israeli opponents.

In a show of solidarity, the councils for freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling all resigned along with Rasoul Khadem, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency.

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Khadem had recently criticized Iranian authorities for forcing the country’s athletes and coaches to concoct lies and excuses to lose matches in order to avoid competing with Israelis. He argued that the Iranian teams should just state openly that they refuse to engage in sportsmanlike conduct with Israelis.

“If we must continue with the policy of noncompetition against the Zionist regime’s athletes, the responsibility cannot fall on the shoulders of the coach and the athlete,” he said on public radio, according to ISNA. “Forcing an athlete to accept defeat or run around all night looking for a doctor’s note is not right.”

The move follows several recent instances of Iranian wrestlers and coaches intentionally throwing matches, as well as a case of intentional sudden weight gain, in order not to have to compete with Israelis. The athletes and their coaches were banned from competition from six months to two years by the United World Wrestling Disciplinary Chamber.

Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a statement on his website in December praising the athletes, saying: “I truly feel proud of such behavior that shows a young man, among our nation, is ready to sacrifice his desires and his right to earn a championship for the sake of a great, high goal.”